Music of Note

Is there anything more ethereal than the final note of a boys' choir, those clear, soaring voices appearing to float on air? The notes of one new anthem have been picked up by hundreds of singers since the Cincinnati Boychoir first sang them two years ago. Peter Morabito's "This Is My Song," commissioned for the boychoir's 40th anniversary concert, is now the Cincinnati composer's first published work.

"I knew immediately that it would be a hit," says Drew Collins, senior choral editor for publisher Kjos Music Co. of San Diego and associate director of choral studies and music education at Wright State University. "The text has a patriotic flair that makes it a good concert closer or opener. It's so natural, it seems to have existed forever."

Morabito's music is new, but the words have been around for decades. The piece began as a patriotic hymn set to music by Jean Sibelius. Morabito chose the international version of the poem, which broadens the love of country to every world citizen and hopes for "a world united, righting every wrong. A world united in its love for freedom, proclaiming peace together in one song."

"I hope the powerful words will help to make a difference in the world," says Morabito, who conducted the work for his own Cincinnati Northwestern Chorale Summer Chorus. "And make it a really big seller."

To hear "This Is My Song," go to www.kjos.com, type in Morabito in Search, and click on the headset.